


The Publicity Stunt

by tokyocherry



Series: Love Is War [4]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Confessions, Cute, Extreme angst, Fighting, Jealousy, M/M, Realizations, Secret Relationship, Sneaking Around, Social Media AU, Sweet, With pictures, extreme fluff, mention of ITZY member, sookai actors, taejun managers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tokyocherry/pseuds/tokyocherry
Summary: while Soobin enjoys himself being in a secret relationship with Kai, his manager Taehyun suddenly offers him a very tempting deal.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai
Series: Love Is War [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1736320
Comments: 20
Kudos: 140





	1. The Devil's Gambit

**Author's Note:**

> you may have to wait a few more seconds for the pictures to load but i hope you enjoy! 🥺

Soobin lazily lounges on his $10000 Faux Crocodile Leather sofa while rubbing some cream on his sunburned arm. He curses himself for being careless and staying out in the sun too long in that cruise. Now, he has to take selfies for social media really calculatedly, endangering his chances of getting the best angles of himself.

He sighs deeply. That cruise had been hell for him with the one exception of what happened at the end. 

He re-caps the sunburn cream and tosses it to his coffee table. He lays back on his sofa and closes his eyes to rest and thinks back to the events of the cruise. Boy was it wild from start to the very end.

His mind still can’t wrap around the idea that Kai suggested they have a no-strings-attached secret relationship. Thank god, he only meant up-to _kissing_ , bless the pure boy. Soobin was completely against this at first as he wanted Kai and him to be together again.

He knows he has some nerve asking for that especially because of the magnitude of pain he brought the other boy in the past. But, he knows deep inside that he’s changed. Perhaps, Kai still doesn’t think so which is why when Kai had suggested something: a relationship that doesn’t have to rely on feelings, Soobin went soft.

It was difficult to turn down. He knew he needed to make it up to Kai and if this was his way of getting back at Soobin, then he’ll let it happen.

Soobin was very familiar anyways with these kinds of relationships from stories he’s heard from friends. Millenials really often tend to have very open and free relationships. It’s way different than in the past where feelings and commitment were the foundation. But now, if you have a connection, you can just hop on and go with the flow.

Soobin doesn’t really agree with this completely. On some aspects, it feels good to worry less about commitment. But then again, he himself wants _to love_ and _be loved_ again. This type of relationship doesn’t really allow him to do that.

But Soobin knows Kai will crack soon. He has to, right? This will just be temporary. Soon enough, they will be together again. At least Soobin hopes so.

Suddenly, his door flings open and in comes his manager, Taehyun. The noise makes him sit up and accidentally put pressure on the sunburned spot on his arm. He hisses in pain, wriggling like a worm.

“Woah, are you okay?” Taehyun asks in between giggles. He sits himself down on the opposite sofa and brings out some folders.

“Y’know what? I keep regretting giving you my house key day by day.”

Taehyun exhales, shaking his head. “If I weren’t here to wake your ass up, you would’ve been late to all your schedules which would lead you to getting fired and becoming homeless.”

“Jeez. It wasn’t that deep meanie.” He half-heartedly flings a throw pillow to Taehyun. “Anyways, why are you even here? You didn’t text me about it in advance.”

“Well, I just thought that this news is best to tell face to face.”

Soobin looks at him expectantly. “Well, what is it?”

Taehyun purses his lips, a bit hesitant. He tosses a folder to Soobin’s lap. Soobin opens it up and sees multiple photographs of a woman.

“Who is this?”

“That is Hwang Yeji, an up-and-coming actor. Both you and her have new shows coming up. Her manager came to me and said that it would be a good idea for you two to _y’know_ get to know each other.”

Soobin was stunned. What was Taehyun trying to say?

“You want me to be in a fake relationship with this girl for a PR stunt?”

Taehyun sighs. “Don’t put it like that. It doesn’t have to be fake. Try getting to know each other and maybe you guys will hit it off. But yeah, it would be a good idea to get the media buzzing about you two.”

“I don’t know about this Taehyun…”

“Why are you acting so hesitant? I thought you’d be on board with this idea immediately. You get to have a chance to date a very _pretty_ girl and your show is going to get publicity because of it!”

Soobin sat back defeated. Taehyun had a point.

Suddenly, Kai popped into his mind. What would he even say to him? He can’t just betray him like this. But then again, they only have a no-strings-attached relationship. He’ll probably understand and won’t get mad if Soobin decides to date other people.

Soobin was about to agree to Taehyun’s plan when his phone suddenly buzzes.

Soobin hurriedly opens his instagram and checks Kai’s account. He rolls his eyes at what Kai was referring.

Soobin giggles reading the comments, he couldn’t even be mad.

His phone notifies him again with a message from Kai.

“Dude, who are you texting? You have the biggest fucking smile on your face.” Taehyun looks at him in disbelief.

Soobin blushes, hiding his phone below his butt. “Uhh, my mom?”

Taehyun raises his eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

“Anyways! About the girl, I’m gonna have to decline. It’s too much trouble for me right now.”

“Really? Where’s the playboy Soobin that I know and love? Is she not pretty enough for you?”

Soobin glares at him. “NO! God, are you insane? She’s very beautiful. It’s just that…I’m not in the mood for a relationship right now.”

Taehyun sighs in exasperation and snatches the folder out of Soobin’s hands. “Fine then. But tell me _immediately_ if you change your mind.” He says before finally exiting Soobin’s apartment.

Soobin closes his eyes, too tired from the mental gymnastics he just went through. Did he make the right decision? Is he a fool for letting go of something possibly better just to stay in a no-commitment relationship?

His phone buzzes, notifying him of another message notification.

Soobin smiles endearingly at his phone before pressing the call button.

_‘Yeah, this boy is worth it.’_

* * *

And so, once the two boys had got back into set, they were back to their serious acting mode. They re-filmed most of the trailer with ease now thanks to their much better chemistry. Everyone in the crew were shocked that the cat and dog were suddenly not fighting as much anymore and actually seemed to be glowing.

The director was different. He didn’t even bat an eye at the different aura the two were exuding the moment they stepped in set.

He knew it from the very start that the cruise would definitely change them. Deciding to not probe into that further, he focuses on making the trailer as good as he can.

Some minor changes happened with the reshooting, such as changing the character’s names to something different. Instead of Ethan and Grayson, they’re now being called Jaeseop and Muyeol. The director made sure to research about the names _thoroughly_ now before approving them.

And so, upon the release of the new and improved trailer, everyone waited impatiently for the reviews. This was crucial because a majority of the audience depended on what the critics think before watching the show.

In other words, this is the ‘make it’ or ‘break it’ moment for all of them.

* * *

> “ **EXPLOSIVE CHEMISTRY:** The two main leads of up and coming show ‘Love is War’, prove their status as one of the great rising actors of this era.”
> 
> “ **AUDIENCES CANNOT WAIT:** Our survey showing the trailer to 100 people resulted in 95/100 of them claiming that it was one of the best they’ve seen in a while and cannot wait for the end result.”
> 
> “’ **WE’RE COOL NOW’** : Ethan and Grayson, better known as the Dolan Twins, have finally spoken after pulling the lawsuit against the show.”

The cast immediately burst into applause when the director gave them the good news. Crew hugged each other tearfully and champagne bottles were popped. This show was going to be made officially now! Soobin and Kai exchange knowing smiles with each other before quietly retreating to a quiet room away from everyone.

“Shut the door slowly!” Soobin orders.

Once Kai makes sure that the coast is clear, he immediately lunges himself to Soobin’s arms. The older boy cradles him delicately and presses a flurry of kisses on the top of his head. It’s a rare opportunity for Kai to be this intimate with him so he wants to make the most of it.

“We did it! We fucking did it. How do you feel?” Soobin asks.

Kai pulls his head away to look up at Soobin. “I—I feel great. It’s like all our hardwork was finally recognized. I know it’s only for the teaser but this really is the best motivation to move forward and do well with the actual filming of the show.”

He plunges his face back to Soobin’s chest and squeals as loud as he can. Soobin squeals silently with him, buzzing together with excitement.

“Hey, Kai?”

Kai looks up in him cutely, his cheeks dusted with pink. Soobin smiles down at him endearingly before grabbing his face and pulling him up for a kiss.

It’s been a week since their last kiss but it’s already felt like forever.

Kai kisses back as passionately as he can, the thrill of their show getting praised and kissing secretly at work making things more explosive. He pulls back and peppers kisses on Soobin’s face.

“I missed this... I missed you.”

Soobin’s face twist in a smirk. “It’s only been a week and you already miss me that much? Woah, my kisses must really be of high quality then.”

Kai rolls his eyes, slapping him playfully. “You’re annoying.”

“Hmm, notice how you didn’t disagree with that statement.” Soobin snickers at him before pushing him back to the wall, pressing their lips once more.

“Listen... if you really miss me that easily, I can fix that and stay with you anytime and anywhere. You just have to say one magic word.”

“Oh really? What word is that?” Kai giggles before chasing the older boy’s lips again.

“Say yes to being my boyfriend.”

Kai stops midway and looks down. He places his hands on Soobin’s chest defensively, groaning.

“Soobin, I don’t know—"

“Will you consider it at least? I promise I’ll prove myself to you.” Soobin grabs Kai’s hands, intertwining them together. “I want to show you how much I’ve changed.”

Kai looks at him nervously, uncertainty painted clear on his face.

“Okay.” He mutters in a quiet voice. Soobin wraps him in a bone crushing hug whispering multiple thank you’s to Kai’s ears.

Suddenly, they hear voices outside of the room.

“Where did they go? It can’t be the bathroom right ‘coz there’s no reason for them to go there at the same time… Unless—” One voice speaks.

“Are you implying those two demons are secretly together or something? That’s like asking if _Spiderman_ and _the Green Goblin_ go out for coffee often.” Another voice says out, laughing at the first voice.

Kai and Soobin hold their breath, inching farther away from the door to hide behind some props. The door to their room flings wide open and the two people enter.

“See? They’re not here. Also, to answer your question, hell would _literally_ freeze over first before those two would ever get together.”

The two of them laugh together at that before leaving the room to go search someplace else, allowing the two boys to come out of their hiding spot and finally breathe.

“Did they _really_ just compare us to Spiderman and the Green Goblin?” Kai asks, a bit offended by their statement.

Soobin nods, a smile forming on his face. “Yeah, it’s _crazy_ that they called you the Green Goblin like _how dare they_?”

Kai glares at him, crossing his arms. “I would totally be Spiderman and you know it!”

Soobin chuckles, placing one last kiss on his cheek before they exit the room to slip back onto set.

“You can be whoever you wanna be, _darling_.”

* * *

Soon after the release of the trailer had caught the attention of different people from all over the country, the network was finally ready to start filming for the actual show. This presented no problem to the two main actors, performance wise. However, it meant that they would have to be extra sneaky on set to prevent any people from finding out about their relationship.

Soobin also kept his promise about doing his best to court Kai and to prove himself to be worthy of becoming his boyfriend again.

Every single shooting, Soobin was there for him from morning to evening taking care of anything Kai asked, no matter how ridiculous it was. Kai had asked him a number of things, from a long coffee order, a blue French horn, a limited-edition scarf and many more.

“Kai, where would I even get a giant marshmallow gun? Do those things even exist?” Soobin asks tiredly.

Kai nods, pinching Soobin’s cheeks. “I know you can do it, hyung! You promised me you’ll make an effort, right?”

Soobin sighs, “Fine. You better be changing your mind soon about declining my offer.”

* * *

He also kept reminding Kai how beautiful he was every chance that he gets. From the moment they meet every morning on set, up to when they text each other goodnight. Soobin is always there to remind Kai how pretty he looked.

They also made it a habit to share all their meals together, just chatting and casually joking around with each other. It was comfortable and relaxing to finally not be in each other’s bad side for a while.

At first, Kai had resented this new flashy Soobin who he thought was probably just doing this to prove something. But when he saw how consistent and sincere his action was, Kai was starting to tear his walls down. He was starting to recognize the effort that Soobin puts in to make it up to him.

Little by little, even their fans had noticed that the two had been arguing less on their social media. And even if they were, it was mostly harmless and not as menacing as before. Before they realized it, conspiracy theories between their respective fandoms began to escalate.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

However, the most terrifying part of their new relationship was the stream of questions from their managers. Yeonjun had cornered Kai one evening when he had just come from a smooch session with Soobin behind one of building props on their set.

“Kai.” He says sternly, stopping the boy in his tracks.

Kai’s eyes bulge slightly. He subtly smooths out the creases from his clothes whilst grinning at his manager.

_‘Just act normal.’_

“Yes, hyung?”

Yeonjun looks at him suspiciously from top to bottom. “Where were you from? You seem a little… feverish?”

Kai swallows nervously, scratching the back of his head. “I uh, I just ran here after using the uh bathroom ‘coz I thought I was gonna be late for the shoot.”

“Hmm, really?”

“Um yeah, of course… You know how much I care about work.” He puts on his best smile.

Yeonjun raises his eyebrows at him. “Mhm. And did your little trip to the bathroom also give you that mark on your neck?”

Kai immediately slaps a hand on his neck, heat rising to his face. “I uh—I can explain—”

“Wrong side.”

He switches the hand covering his neck, cringing in embarrassment. “Hyung, it’s not what you’re thinking!”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes, pulling Kai to somewhere more private. “Do you think I’m an idiot? Did you think I haven’t noticed all the times you and Soobin suddenly disappeared in the middle of shooting?”

Kai looks down, too ashamed to face his manager right now. “I’m sorry, hyung. I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“Oh, so you’re confirming that something _is_ going on between you two? I thought you guys were enemies? Kai, you literally compared him once to the shit if ‘shit’ took a human form and took a shit.”

“We are enemies but—” 

Yeonjun cuts him off and raises his voice. “What is this then? Are you two together? Are you crazy? Don’t you know what the consequences of your actions are? Kai, we can’t just spring a news like this to everyone.”

Yeonjun’s face softens when he sees Kai’s bottom lip begin to tremble. He must be about to cry. He sighs in exasperation before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry for shouting at you. I’m just worried for you, okay? Both as your friend and manager. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

Kai whimpers, using his sleeves to wipe his eyes. The two boys then share a make-up hug, with Yeonjun rubbing Kai’s back soothingly.

“Can you talk to me please? Tell me what’s going on, Kai.” He asks more calmly.

Kai nods sadly, sniffling a bit.

“Soobin and I aren’t really… _together_ together.” He clarifies. “We set some rules beforehand and its strictly a no romance policy.”

Yeonjun tilts his head in confusion. “But you’ve always been so vocal to me about wanting to be in a relationship. Why haven’t you made it official with Soobin yet?”

Kai was silent for a moment, thinking over his words properly.

“Do you remember that story I told you a long time ago when I hired you? The one about the guy who left me to chase his own dream?”

Yeonjun nods, remembering the story a selfish person who fucked Kai over when they were younger. He remembers fondly how depressed he was whilst telling the story. He would never forget that person who would hurt the sweetest and purest human being of all time.

“Shit, Kai. That guy from your past was Soobin? Why didn’t you tell me that? God, I feel awful now for having you do this show.”

Kai immediately shushes the older boy.

“No, hyung, this is good for my career anyways. I’m a grown man, I can be mature about all this stuff.”

“ _But_?”

Kai sighs. “ _But_ I also accepted this project because I have a plan.”

“You have a ‘plan’? Oh no, I have a _really_ bad feeling about this ‘plan’—"

“It’s a plan to get back at Soobin, yes!”

Yeonjun facepalms, stressed out from the younger boy’s antics. “You mean to tell me, that all of this was just so you could get back at Soobin?”

“Well, not entirely. I was just hoping to sabotage his chances of staying in this show. But things lead to another, the cruise happened, _yada yada_ and now I’m planning on leading him on and then breaking his heart once filming was finished.”

“Wow. You’re actually insane.”

“You know what he did to me back then, hyung. I just want to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

“Kai, be honest with me. Are you really sure you don’t have feelings for him anymore?”

Kai huffs out his cheeks, squinting at that question. “Uh..no, I’m pretty sure that I don’t.” He replies a bit forcefully.

Yeonjun shakes his head, he was already feeling a headache starting to form. “I still think that you should at least talk this out with each other and avoid this stupid plan. But you’re both grown men so you’re on your own on this one, just don’t jeopardize the show alright?”

“Hyung, do you not trust me?”

Yeonjun crosses his arms, getting serious with Kai again.

“I’m serious, Kai. This whole plan you’ve got going on is _dumb and dangerous_. We’re almost done halfway with the filming of this show, can you at least promise me that you will behave the entire time and avoid causing setbacks?”

Kai sighs, nodding solemnly. “I promise, sir.”

“Good. Now go, before I get an even bigger headache.” Yeonjun then shushes Kai away and crashes on one of the sofas on set. He mulls their conversation over in his head over and over again and thinks back to all the times he caught Kai during their shoots.

From the way Kai was smiling at his phone all time, blushing whenever Soobin got close to him in public and even the changes in their interaction on social media: Yeonjun was sure about one thing.

Kai was definitely lying about his feelings.

* * *

* * *

* * *

“Seriously, what’s taking the waiter so long?” Soobin scrunches his fist on the table cutely, making Kai smile subconsciously at him.

“Calm down, Big Foot. He did say 15-20 minutes and it’s only been—” He checks his watch, “—19 minutes.”

Kai giggles to himself at how different the older boy can be when he’s starving. However, he might also be cranky because of the fact that he was way underdressed in a classy restaurant like this.

They were currently sat in one of the finest ramen restaurants that Kai had insisted they go. But he forgot to tell Soobin this and didn’t realize the other boy would come meet him simply wearing a hoodie. Hence, the sour mood for tonight.

“Hey, you look fine. Plus, the owner recognized us, he’s not going to kick you out for dressing like that you know.” Kai assures him.

Soobin exhales, nodding. “Fine, you’re right.”

They spend the rest of their time chatting about their days and plans after tonight. To be honest, Kai was only half-listening to what Soobin was saying. He was way too nervous about telling him that Yeonjun found out about their ‘relationship’.

“So uh—” Kai starts.

“You look _beautiful_ tonight by the way.” Soobin beams sincerely at him. “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you that this morning. I was way too focused on practicing my lines for this one part.”

“It’s alright. Thank you, by the way.”

“Sorry, you were saying something and I cut you off.” Soobin giggles, taking a sip from his water.

Kai breathes in deeply before continuing. “There’s no easy way to say this so I’m just gonna put this out there.”

“Okay?”

“Yeonjun knows about our secret.”

Soobin accidentally slams down the glass of water in shock, startling the both of them and the people around their radius. He bows apologetically to them before facing Kai in panic.

“What do you mean he knows!?”

Kai then proceeds to tell him everything but leaving out the parts where Yeonjun asked him about his feelings. Soobin can’t know about that.

“Woah. Him finding out probably means that we aren’t being careful enough. More and more people might start to suspect us as well.” He looks at Kai, biting his lip in concentration. “Kai, I know I’ve asked you this a million times but don’t you think it’s time for us to finally become more than this? We can’t just keep up this charade forever.”

Kai stares at him blankly. He wants to say yes so badly but his desire to succeed with his original plan was overpowering his decisions.

“I’ve _told_ you already, hyung. I don’t want something more. I’m fine with what we have now—”

“Well, I’m not.” Soobin abruptly replies. “It’s been months already, and I have been there for you _nonstop_ from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. I know that sounds pretty shallow but don’t you feel at least a little bit swayed by my efforts?”

Soobin could almost cry. It wasn’t like he didn’t like doing those things for Kai, but the fact that he wasn’t being reciprocated the love he’s giving is killing him. It’s killing him because he doesn’t want to feel like a loser for accepting unrequited love.

People often say that the love you accept is nothing but a reflection of the love you water yourself with. Soobin may get love every single day from his fans but when he doesn’t get it from the one person he cares about, he feels himself slowly degrading into this lifeless vessel only meant to serve this person.

When Kai doesn’t answer, Soobin continues his plea. “I’m so _so_ tired of feeling this way Kai. Can’t you see I’m really trying? I want to be with you officially, I—I wanna tell you _I love you_ and I wanna hear it back. _I want to feel loved.”_

Kai starts shaking life a leaf in his seat. Why was this affecting him so differently now? It’s not like this is the first time Soobin had asked him about this before. He can’t pinpoint the exact reason why he’s feeling this way.

Kai snorts nervously, gripping the tableware a little too hard. “Y—You sound way too dramatic, Soobin hyung. Can we please just finish our dinner and hang out at my place?” He begs, uncertainty clear in his voice.

Soobin stares at him with an icy cold gaze, a realization dawning upon him.

“You know what, Kai? I… can’t do this anymore.” He carefully stands up, clears his stuff and exits the restaurant before Kai could get another word out.

Soobin shivers when he feels the icy cold air hit his face. He isn’t so mad now that he had worn his warm hoodie for tonight. He picks his phone up to send a very important text message.


	2. The Love Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kai finally addresses his feelings after going through a series of events regarding soobin's absence in his life.

  
Kai sits back on his chair feeling defeated. He cannot believe that Soobin had just abandoned him. It was the first ever time Soobin had acted like that through all the months they spent together. Was their little act really getting too much for him? Was Kai being too harsh and ignorant with his feelings? 

Was there something wrong with not wanting something serious right now? To Kai, a proper relationship sounds _terrifying_ , one little decision and every single second you put into that relationship just becomes worthless. You tell yourself it’ll be okay and you’ll move on, but the pain of having the most important thing ripped out of your life certainly won’t leave you for a while. 

Plus, Kai meant to keep him on the line for his revenge plan. So, why was he feeling much guiltier than he should be feeling? He should be feeling anger and resentment towards the other boy because of the horrible things that happened in the past. Is his mind being weak and tricking him because of all the nice things Soobin was showing him these past few months? 

Kai furrows his eyebrows. He won’t let his guard down. He’ll stick with his plan and stay through with it until the end. This is just a little obstacle down the road. He can fix this. He can.

Deciding he can’t take the judgmental stares of the other people around him, he asks the waiter to pack their food in a to-go container before finally leaving the restaurant. He fires a quick text to Soobin before heading home.

* * *

* * *

Kai pockets his phone, heading to his car. His mind was full of thoughts about the other boy. Will Soobin come? Did Soobin really hate him now? What should he do to get Soobin back in his orbit once again? 

He drives home quietly, his heart getting heavier for some reason. His eyes keep fluttering to the view outside, the city lights molding into one beautiful mess of colors. It calms him down a little, but only a little bit. 

He keeps on checking his phone, turning the sound notification to the highest setting just in case he’ll miss it. However by the time he gets home, his phone had not made a single sound. 

Kai enters his apartment. It seemed darker and lonelier than usual. He can’t deny that in these past few months, Soobin had really brought in light and happiness every time they spent time in his apartment. He had been comfortable immediately, whilst also taking care of Kai. He couldn’t count how many home cooked meals Soobin had cooked for him, how many movies they had watched and cuddled to, and how many late night talks they spent out in the balcony.

Soobin had been _incredibly patient_ , making sure not to bring up their relationship in any of these situations. Kai was thankful for that, because it had really made the experience less stressful. In fact, it was almost as if the two were living together.

He places the containers filled with ramen on ~~their~~ —his kitchen counter. He plops down on the sofa, checking his phone once again. 

Still no new notifications.

He pouts, losing all his appetite. He mindlessly watches television for a while to keep his mind off of Soobin. Before he knows it, the clock had alarmed him that it was almost midnight. Deciding he doesn’t care anymore, Kai spams Soobin with more messages.

* * *

* * *

Kai sends the last message, feeling pathetic. He tosses his phone on the coffee table to change into more comfortable clothes. While in his room to change, he suddenly hears a familiar ping. 

Immediately, he races back to the couch, grabbing his phone with almost lightning speed. 

_'Ha! I knew Soobin-hyung was whipped for me.'_ He smiles cockily.

However, his face drops when he sees that the notification was from his manager.

* * *

* * *

Kai's phone flashes the call indicator screen for Yeonjun. He begins to tear up as he slides to accept the call. 

“Kai? What’s wrong?” Yeonjun’s voice comforts him immediately and Kai starts crying straight away. 

“I think there’s something wrong with me.” He sniffles through the receiver. 

“Something wrong...with you? I mean, I can _definitely_ list some things but I need to know which one specifically.” Yeonjun jokes to lighten up the mood a bit. 

Kai lets out a weak huff of laughter. Yeonjun was always good at cheering him up, even just a tiny bit. He proceeds to catch Yeonjun up with everything that happened that night, from their dinner, to their conversation, and up to Soobin leaving him.

Yeonjun sits quietly for a moment, processing all the information Kai had told him. He almost thought that his manager had fallen asleep on him. 

Suddenly, Yeonjun asks him a question.

“Kai, answer me honestly.”

“What is it?”

“Do you have feelings for Soobin?” 

Kai’s breath hitches, his mind stirring. _'Why would Yeonjun ask that?'_

“That’s a stupid question, hyung. Of course, I don’t.”

Yeonjun lets out a ‘tsk’ at that. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes, hyung!” Kai responds a bit forcefully. “Why’d you even ask that?” 

“It’s just...the way you’re reacting, it’s telling me a different story.” 

Kai thinks back to how he reacted. It was a reasonable reaction right? He felt very upset that his relationship with Soobin was terminated. _'I’m upset because this is becoming an obstacle in my revenge plan, that’s it!'_ Kai convinces himself. 

“Look Kai, I may be your manager but I am also your friend. Just get some sleep for now, alright? We can tackle this problem again tomorrow.”

Kai ends the call solemnly. He drags himself to his bedroom, and plops himself on his bed. 

_'Weird how empty it feels without Soobin by my side now.'_

Kai attempts to fall asleep that night, suppressing the thoughts he’s been having about the other boy, and also actively avoiding this one ‘What if’ question.

_'What if I’m upset because of an entirely different reason?'_

* * *

The next morning, Kai tries his best to be as early as possible for the meeting. He needed to get the chance to talk to Soobin face to face. He even wore his favorite sweater for him. 

Kai waits patiently as the room and chairs slowly gets filled with the other actors and important crew. After a while, the director finally arrives and takes his place at the front to address everyone in the room. Kai looks around confusingly, searching for any sign of Soobin. But the older boy could not be found.

“Good morning, everyone! Today, I am here to announce that we will be doing _a few_ changes in filming. Some solo scenes for the main actors will be shot first, such as the school and restaurant scenes. So, Kai—” He looks up when his name gets called. “You will be in a separate studio for your scenes. Soobin has already gone ahead and went to his studio for today so don’t worry about him.” 

Kai lays back on his chair, mulling over the announcement. They were to film the remaining solo scenes first? What made the director change his mind? Did Soobin personally ask him to not film with Kai for the time being? 

He meets Yeonjun’s eyes who motions for him to take deep breaths. He’s incredibly lucky to have such a caring person to be his manager. 

“Alright everyone, I therefore conclude the meeting. Let’s get to work! Goodluck for today.” The director wraps up their meeting, leaving the room in a hurry. 

Kai struts over to Yeonjun’s side, a frown on his face. “Hyung, do you know something about this? Did Soobin personally ask for this?” 

Yeonjun rubs his shoulder comfortingly. “I don’t know Kai, I’m sorry. Don’t worry, I’ll try my best to get some information from Taehyun. ”

“Really?” 

“Of course. Now, just try to get through this. You’ll be back to filming scenes with him again in no time.” Yeonjun promises.

Kai makes an effort to get through the day without thinking of Soobin. His solo scenes had even went smoothly. Sometime later when they had finished up for the day, he decides to pass by the editing room. He pauses in his tracks when he sees a clip of Soobin they were editing on the computer. 

Kai could almost cry. It was the first time he’d seen Soobin’s face since last night. The older boy seemed to be doing fine on his own, his acting on point. Kai excitedly sends him a message.

* * *

* * *

He sighs, looking at all the unanswered messages he had sent the other boy. He marches back to the waiting room to nap for a while. He opens the door to see a troubled Yeonjun on the phone with somebody. 

When Yeonjun notices his presence, he immediately hushes a _I’ll call you later_ to the receiver before dropping the call. Kai raises his eyebrow, looking at him amusingly.

“Something wrong, hyung?” Kai drinks from his water bottle and plops down on the sofa. 

Yeonjun says nothing, biting his lip nervously. He sits down opposite to Kai. 

“Taehyun finally got back to me about Soobin’s situation. I… don’t think you’re gonna like this.” He gives Kai his phone, showing a tweet from a Dispatch account.

* * *

* * *

Kai stares at the screen, dumbfounded. “This is fake right? Like it’s just edited or something?” 

“That’s what I hoped as well. But, I was just on a call with Taehyun and…he confirmed that those two really did go out.” 

“Go out…as in like _friends_? Hyung, please tell me they’re just friends righ—” 

“Taehyun said they’re going public in the next few weeks.” Yeonjun sits beside Kai, immediately wrapping his arm around the younger boy. “I’m sorry Kai.”

Kai huffs in air quickly, the news not settling in him yet. 

“I—I’m confused, When did this even happen? Soobin never told me anything about her. In fact, we were always together.” Kai blubbers out, his voice cracking. “There’s no way he could do that behind my back.”

“Let’s calm down first, alright? These kinds of things are usually just fake relationships to boost ratings. You shouldn’t worry about it too much.” Yeonjun reminds him. 

Kai shakes his head at his answer. “W—we don’t know what will happen. What if Soobin falls in love with her? Have you seen Yeji? She’s crazy beautiful.” He buries his head in his hands. “Fake relationship or not, I don’t like seeing him with other people that isn’t me!” 

Yeonjun raises his eyebrow. “Is this you finally confessing that you’re in love with Soobin? I’m mad it took you this long but I’m proud, nevertheless.” 

Kai looks at him with a bewildered expression. “What are you talking about? I don’t love him. Stop asking me that! In fact, it’s the opposite. I’m…just pissed that my plan keeps getting sidetracked.”

Yeonjun retracts his arm and rolls his eyes. “You’re such an _idiot_. Anyways, you can talk about all of this with him next month when you guys film together again.” He says before leaving Kai alone in the waiting room to wallow in his thoughts.

_'Did I really get replaced by Yeji? There’s no way it’s real. It’s just fake and all stupid PR. Soobin doesn’t really like her that way, right?'_

* * *

The next few weeks went by very slowly, at least for Kai. On one hand, he had been doing fine on his own solo scenes. The director was complimenting him and shooting went by without any difficulties. 

However, on the other, Kai was having a hard time dealing with Soobin withdrawals. Now that he knows the _real_ reason why Soobin was keeping his distance, it’s making him even more miserable.

He’s also doing his own part for the healing process. He’s been striving to keep a positive attitude, choosing to ignore all of the articles and tweets slowly gaining traction about the famed new celebrity couple. 

However, when even the crew members are heavily invested in paparazzi gossip about the two, Kai couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer. Quickly, he sneaks away from set and slips inside an empty room. 

Kai grabs his phone anxiously, scrolling through twitter. He clicks on one the fan accounts under his tweets to lurk. His face turns sour when he notices the surplus of tweets about the other actor and his new ‘girlfriend’.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Kai gasps, the phone screen illuminating his shocked expression in the unwell lit room. He stumbles to the floor and sits down cross legged, his hands wrapping around his phone a little too tightly. All of this was so confusing to him. Who was Yeji? Why haven't Soobin mentioned her to him at all?

Suddenly, the speakers boom out a loud commanding voice over the whole filming set. 

“Huening Kai and Choi Soobin, please proceed to set C. The shooting for scene ‘ _Reconciliation_ ’ will begin in 5 minutes.”

Kai immediately stands up, pocketing his phone. It was finally time. It was time to shoot with Soobin again. 

To be quite frank, he felt a bit nervous to be filming with him again. I mean, how else would you feel when you’re about to face the person who suddenly left you in a restaurant and ghosted you for weeks? Should he say hello? Should he talk it out with him first before they film? 

Kai also can’t deny that he felt a bit excited. The _‘Reconciliation’_ scene was one of his favorites in the project. Jaeseop was finally to be reunited with his lover, Muyeol, after a month long trip to take care of his sick grandmother in the countryside. Prior to this, the two had finally confessed their true feelings towards each other and was eager to finally begin their relationship.

He takes a deep breath and opens the door to the set of his character’s (Jaeseop’s) home. Soobin’s (or Muyeol’s) suitcases sat at the fake door on the far left. A make-up assistant greets him and starts retouching his make-up, preparing him for the shooting. 

He’s a bit distracted because of his eagerness to be face to face with the one person avoiding him for weeks. When his eyes finally lay on a tall gentleman, his heartbeat quickens unexpectedly. He can feel himself start sweating, his throat dry and his nerves on the edge. 

Somehow, Soobin had looked even more _handsome_ than before. _'How was this even possible?'_ Kai wondered. He thanks the make-up assistant before making his way through the set, following the director’s orders. 

Kai avoids eye contact with Soobin as they take their places on set. The director picks up his megaphone and announces to them more details about the scene. 

“For this scene, Kai, I want you to _really_ be emotional at Soobin’s return. Imagine, you’re his lover and after weeks of not seeing together, you can finally reunite in a passionate embrace and a powerful kiss.” 

_'Oh, fuck me.'_ Kai grits his teeth but nods along to the director’s words. This was all sounding a little too familiar. 

“And Soobin, I want you to embrace Kai with as much guilt as you can. Think as if you never wanted to leave his side, and spend time away from him. You guys get that? I wanna see _passion and emotion_ overflowing from this tearful reunion.” 

The two actors raise a thumbs up to his words, their chests beating louder and louder by the second. 

This is it. Their first meeting in weeks. They’re finally reunited again.

“And... **ACTION!** ”

Jaeseop sits on the dining room table, mindlessly flipping through his monthly magazine subscription of Dazed, featuring some beautiful girl group members on the cover. Suddenly, he hears the clatter of suitcases outside of his door, indicating another presence was about to enter the building.

“Could it be?” Jaeseop wonders out loud, he treads carefully closer to the doorway, sliding across the chilly walls. He burrows behind the corner, protecting himself as he is uncertain of whoever the presence might be. 

“Oh dear, I sure hope it’s not some robber! I have nothing left to give you! Nothing else matters to me anymore ever since my _love_ , Muyeol, has left my side weeks ago.” 

The doorknob rattles for a second before a satisfying click was heard. 

Muyeol pops out, clothes a bit disgruntled. “Oh darling, I may not be a robber but I sure hope you’ll allow me to take your heart!” 

Jaeseop gasps loudly, clutching his chest. “ _M--Muyeol_?”

“It’s me my love!” Muyeol confirms, spreading his arms wide like an eagle. Jaeseop happily leaps into his arms, tearily meeting the other boy halfway. Jaeseop immediately wails into his shoulders, the feeling of his presence and warmth emanating from Muyeol’s hug overwhelming his senses. 

“Oh how, I missed you my dear! You don’t know how many nights I’ve spent thinking about you.” Muyeol says, tangling his fingers through Jaeseop’s hair. 

~~Kai~~ \--Jaeseop continues to sob on his shoulder, grabbing his clothes tightly. “Please don’t leave me ever again. I fucking missed you so much.” Jaeseop cries out. “I missed _this_ so much.”

 ~~Muyeol~~ \--Soobin looks up unsurely to the director who tilts his head in confusion. 

“ **CUT!** ” He stomps to the front and softly removes Kai from Soobin’s arms, giving him a fresh tissue. 

“What the hell happened Kai? You were supposed to ask about his grandmother. What’s with the sudden change of the script?” The director scolds him. Soobin awkwardly gets whisked away by hair and make-up crew, smoothing out the creases left by Kai.

“I--I’m sorry sir, I just kind of got a little bit into the scene.” Kai blushes. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

The director comforts the knot forming on his head with his fingers. “It’s fine, no it’s _great_ that you really got into your scene. But this isn’t an improv class and you should follow the script we had. You got that?” 

Kai nods.

The director adds on. “Also, there should absolutely _no cursing_ we don’t want to get restricted even more.” 

Kai bows apologetically and hushes more words of affirmation. 

The director makes his way back to his chair. “Alright, we can just go back to the door scene where Jaeseop jumps into Muyeol’s arms. Kai, and Soobin, are you ready?” 

They both nod and take their places, taking deep breaths. 

“And... **ACTION!** ” 

Jaeseop gasps loudly, clutching his chest. “M--Muyeol?”

“It’s me my love!” Muyeol confirms, spreading his arms wide like an eagle. Jaeseop happily leaps into his arms, tearily meeting the other boy halfway. ~~Kai~~ \--Jaeseop weeps a little less harder than the first shot, trying to keep his emotions under control. 

“Oh how, I missed you my dear! You don’t know how many nights I’ve spent thinking about you.” Muyeol says, tangling his fingers through Jaeseop’s hair. 

“I’ve missed you more my love, but don’t worry. I understand that your grandmother is very important to you as well. How is she by the way?” Jaeseop asks. 

“She’s doing much better after her amazing grandson had taken good care of her. I even told her all about you!” Muyeol beams, giggling at Jaeseop’s shocked expression. “In fact, she even gave me her blessing.” 

Jaeseop holds his breath. “Her blessing with what?”

Muyeol smirks and presses a kiss to Jaeseop’s forehead. “With our relationship, of course!”

Jaeseop grins at Muyeol, hugging him tightly again. “That’s amazing! Does this mean we can finally be together for _real_?” 

Muyeol brings his hand down to caress Jaeseop’s cheeks, looking into his eyes deeply.

“Only if you say yes.” 

Jaeseop takes this chance to fiercely collide their lips together. As Soobin--Muyeol pulls back to say the next line, he suddenly gets pulled back down for another kiss by Jaeseop--Kai. He wraps his arms around Soobin’s head, his eyes tearing up again at how much he missed the other boy’s lips on his own. So much so that he had forgotten they were filming once again. 

“ **CUT!** ” 

Kai pulls back to face a shocked Soobin, his ears beyond pink. He lets go of him, feeling very embarrassed. He steps back shyly and awaits another round of the director’s harsh words. 

He can’t believe he just did it again. His emotions got the better of him and he couldn’t control himself anymore. He touches his lips with his finger, his blush spreading all over his body. He couldn’t focus on anything right now. Everything the director was currently saying to him was just passing through his ear. 

Can you even blame him? That was the first time Kai and Soobin had kissed for weeks and judging from the look on Soobin’s face, he wasn’t the only one who missed the other. It felt good, no! It felt amazing! He had to talk to Soobin soon. He just has to. 

To calm the director down, he finally cuts through all the bullshit and focuses on finishing this scene. The sooner he gets this over with, the sooner he can get to Soobin and confront him for everything that had happened.

* * *

“Soobin-hyung!” Kai squeezes through the crew in the cramp hallways of their studio, trying to catch up to the older boy. As soon as the director announced that they were finished for the day, Soobin was in a hurry to leave, swiftly cleaning up his things and carrying it with him. 

He notices Soobin looking back at him, his eyes bulging slightly. He speeds up his pace, trying to outrun the younger boy. Kai attempts to catch up, ignoring how he’s accidentally knocking down a lot of props along the way. 

Soobin exhales in relief at the familiar door at the end of the hallway which was marked the exit. He decides to full on sprint towards the end. However, he stops abruptly when he notices the tiny sign posted on the wooden frame. 

**CONSTRUCTION GOING ON OUTSIDE, PLEASE USE THE OTHER EXIT**

_'Shit.'_ He was basically doomed. 

“S--Soobin-hyung..” Kai puts his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Soobin turns around hesitantly, crossing his arms. 

“What do you want?”

Kai looks up at him with begging eyes. “Can we please talk?” 

Soobin rolls his eyes, nodding. 

“Fine.”

They head to the waiting room, not a single peep coming from either of them, and the air thick and heavy with tension. Kai can still feel his blood pumping hard. All he wanted to do right now is to hug and kiss the other boy. But he knows that he needs to clear things up first before they get even more messy. 

Lucky for them, the waiting room was empty. Soobin grabs a chair and sits down a reasonable distance away from Kai. The younger boy fiddles with his fingers nervously. 

“So uh, how are you?” Kai awkwardly starts.

He can feel Soobin’s strong gaze on him, as if he was observing very closely how he was behaving. 

“I’m alright.” He answers in a monotone voice. “You?” 

“I could be better.” Kai bitterly smiles. “Can we please talk about what happened at dinner a few weeks ago?”

Soobin crosses his legs. “What’s there to talk about? I left because I was tired of feeling like _shit._ Now, I’m finally out of a toxic situation and I feel much better than before.”

“Why would you call it toxic?”

“Because I never wanted a no-strings-attached relationship!”

“But I thought you were fine with our whole relationship! Yes, you complained to me a few times but I never thought it was _that serious_ for you to just get up and leave me.” 

“I made it very clear to you what my intentions with you are. I was just going along because I _thought_ you might just change your mind someday. Even just a tiny bit. But alas, it’s been months and you tell me there’s been _zero_ progress? I couldn’t do it anymore.” Soobin confesses. 

Kai raises his voice. “Why do you even care so much about a label in our relationship? We were _already_ doing couple things, what’s a stupid label gonna do?”

Soobin furiously clenches his fist. “I don’t care about labels, Kai! What I care about is you not admitting your _true feelings_!” He spits out, making Kai tense up. 

“Be honest with me right now, Kai. Do you have feelings for me? Because, _all of this_ \--“ He waves his hands around. “--doesn’t have to get even more complicated if you just tell me the truth.” 

Kai pauses for a brief moment, feeling like the world around him was suddenly swirling very very quickly. It’s like he can’t keep up and focus on one thing. He needs to make a decision already.

Does he _really_ love Soobin? What about his plan to get revenge on him? Is he ready to throw all of that down the drain just to give the boy who hurt him deeply a second chance?

“I don’t.” 

Soobin stares at him, sadness painted in his eyes. He stands up and begins to gather his things again, quietly. Kai puts a hand on his arm, making him pause. 

“Please don’t go. We can work this out in some way.” 

“No--“

“Soobin?” A female voice suddenly breaks through the tension in the air. The two boys look up to the newly opened door to see a girl with a unique pair eyes, beautiful long hair and a killer aura. 

“Oh, Yeji! Sorry I’m a bit late, I was just about to finish clearing my things. I’ll be out in a minute.” Soobin smiles at her.

Yeji takes a glance at Kai. “Before that, I don’t wanna be rude.” She approaches the two boys. “I don’t think we’ve met yet, I’m Hwang Yeji.” She bows politely to Kai who bows back. 

“I’m Huening Kai. Nice to meet you.”

Yeji’s eyes glitter mischievously. “Oh, _you’re_ Kai?”

Kai tilts his head in confusion. Have these two talked about him before? 

“Yeji, _please_ wait outside, I promise I’ll be out in a bit.” Soobin begs. Yeji giggles at him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. 

Kai can feel his head explode in a million different pieces. _'What the fuck just happened? How dare she kiss him in front of me.'_ He can sense his nostril flare up angrily at the action but he doesn’t care. 

“Alright, don’t take too long! I’m _so excited_ to try out that new restaurant you told me about.” Yeji sends him one last wink before heading out to the door.

“Oh and Kai, it was _really_ nice to meet you again.” She sends him an icy smile, shutting the door swiftly. 

The two boys stands in silence, unsure of what to say to each other. “I’ve got to go now, Kai, I’m serious. If you’re ready to finally talk about your true feelings, give me a call. Otherwise, don’t bother me.” And with that, Soobin exits the waiting room, leaving Kai to soak up everything that just transpired. 

For some reason, he has a really bad feeling about that Yeji girl. He needs to see what those two are up to. He fires a quick text to his manager.

* * *

Kai smirks. _'Time to do some investigating.'_

* * *

After changing into a black hoodie, and wearing a facemask with dark shades, Kai makes his way to the park where Taehyun said the two will be stopping by first. He hides behind some trees, watching Soobin and Yeji hold hands from afar. 

Kai shakes his head at what the two were doing right now. Yeji was clearly flirting with Soobin in broad daylight. Not only that, but she was doing it in an exaggerated way. _'This girl has no shame whatsoever. What the hell does Soobin see in her?'_

Yeji grabs a flower and starts picking off all the petals on it. She gathers them all up and throws the petal all around her and Soobin, giggling loudly. Kai rolls his eyes. _'This is not a damn photoshoot, miss 'failed-actress-and-probably-just-sticking-to-Soobin-to-leech-off-of-his-fame'_ _Yeji._ ' It’s almost as if she _wants_ the paparazzi to take good photos of them. 

The worst part of this was seeing Soobin accept and even reciprocate her flirting. Kai could almost vomit. He forgot how disgusting heterosexual couples can be. Or was this just because he was seeing Soobin act romantically this way with someone that isn’t him? 

_'This girl is the devil and I’m going to prove it.'_ Kai furrows his eyebrows, feeling more determined than ever. 

He continues to follow the alleged couple all through out the afternoon, from the date at the park, to the shopping sprees at the little local shops along the streets, and up until they get into the restaurant that Soobin had mentioned. 

All this time, the two had just been flirting _non stop_ , which confuses Kai as to why they still need to have a big reveal of their relationship sometime next week when they’re already acting so open like this. 

It was finally nighttime, which made it much easier to sneak around them without getting caught. He was also lucky to be able to score a table at the same restaurant Soobin and Yeji were staying in. 

He’s sulking even more now when he realizes that Soobin had took him to this restaurant before. He stayed low on his table, using his menu to hide his face from them. He admits he likes the thrill a little bit. 

He closes his eyes and tries to zone in on whatever conversation the two were having. 

“Thanks for taking me out here again, Soobin. This place seems _really_ nice and I cannot wait to try the food.” Kai hears Yeji say. 

“Yeah? I’m glad you’re liking it so far! I’ve only been here once, I think.”

Yeji sips from her glass of water. “Oh really? Who did you go with?” 

“I went with Kai. He uh wasn’t really fond of the food. It kind of ruined the experience a little.” Soobin lets out a snicker. “He also kept complaining about this restaurant. Like how it could have needed less plants and more fancy decor, and etc. He said he felt like he was dining in the middle of a jungle.”

Kai purses his lips. _'But, I’m right though, this place really does look like a jungle with all these plants. I wonder how they got so many Michelin stars.'_

Yeji grabs Soobin’s hand across from her. “Well, you don’t have to think about _him_ now that I’m here. Okay?”

Soobin nods, grinning at her widely. “You’re right! All my attention is on you, don’t worry.” 

Kai can feel his blood start to boil again. Why was he so worried about Soobin dating other people? Shouldn’t he be fine with this? 

He shudders in his seat. He’s afraid his feelings towards the other boy might have changed completely and he doesn’t know how to deal with it yet. 

He turns his attention back to the pair. “I cannot wait for us to reveal our relationship next week! How do you think your fans are gonna react? Because I may have some _pretty crazed_ fans and I’m scared you might receive a lot of hate in your inbox.” She giggles maniacally, or at least thats how Kai saw it.

Soobin presses a kiss to her knuckles, making Kai almost stab the table with his fork. “It’ll be all worth it as long as I get to be with you.”

_'Corny as hell.'_

Yeji blushes deeply, shyly looking away from Soobin. “I knows its only a PR relationship but...I do hope things go well. I’ve been having so much fun with you.”

“Who knows, we might really hit it off and move on to the next step.” Soobin humors her, smiling shyly. 

“Really? Well, I _have_ always wanted to have a big Hollywood-like wedding.” Yeji nonchalantly mentions, making Soobin choke on his water. 

“You do, huh?” Soobin replies, a wide smirk fixed on his lips. “I’m gonna have to keep that in mind then.” They share a moment of sweet laughter. 

Kai’s heart drops to the lowest pit it could. He curses his imagination for betraying him. His mind flashes with images of Soobin proposing to Yeji in a beautiful location, like in Paris. He imagines Yeji walking down the aisle, with a teary eyed Soobin waiting for her at the altar. He sees them starting a family together. He imagines a little Soobin running around the home, calling Soobin _‘Papa_ ’ and Yeji _‘Mama’_.

Kai imagines a happy life for Soobin with him never present in the picture.

That was the breaking point. That was the moment he couldn’t deal with this anymore.

He dabs his face, feeling wetness on his cheeks. He didn’t even realize he was crying. He gets out his table, apologizes to the waiter for not ordering anything and exits the restaurant. He pauses to look at the two lovers on their date. Soobin’s hand were interlaced with Yeji’s and the biggest lovesick smiles were plastered on their faces.

Kai looks away quickly, unable to take the sight no more. His feelings and emotions were all becoming clear to him now. The grieving period when Soobin had left his side, the fits of anger he had when he found out Soobin was romantically involved with someone else, and the soul crushing vision he had involving Soobin and Yeji in the future. 

He’s finally come to a realization. 

Before he had known it, he starts throwing up in the bushes. Tears streamed down his face as he clutched his stomach in pain. He sobbed _hard_ , balling his hands into fists and hitting the ground harshly, not caring about the people around that looked at him in distress. 

He presses the call button on his phone, waiting for Yeonjun to pick up. 

“Hyung, can you please come get me here?” He asks, his voice clearly sounding rough. He gives Yeonjun the address to the restaurant and waits patiently at the sidewalk. 

15 minutes later, he recognizes Yeonjun’s car pulling up on the sidewalk. He enters the car and Yeonjun greets him with a big bottle of grape juice and some egg tarts. His favorite comfort food. 

“I heard you crying on the phone so I knew you needed this.” He gives Kai the food, starting his car up again. “So. Tell me what’s going on.”

“You were right all along, hyung.” Kai sniffles, looking down regretfully.

“ **I’m in love with Soobin-hyung.** ” 

Yeonjun takes a deep breath and fist pumps the air secretly. _'Finally!'_

“Okay. Well, what do you wanna do about it?”

Kai turns to him, a teary but insistent look on his face. “I _need_ to get him back. Will you please help me?” 

“You had me at _‘You were right all along’_. We can brainstorm later at home. But for now, let’s get you all cleaned up.” Yeonjun promises him before they drive off together into the night, the bright illuminating restaurant slowly leaving their sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends! \\( ͡❛ ₃ ͡❛)/
> 
> i can't believe the next part will be the finale for Love Is War AAAAAAAAAA (っ •︣ ₃ •︣ )っ thank you all for reading my work these past few months i'm very happy to see that you guys are liking it as well. 🥺
> 
> tell me your thoughts in the comments below and any kudos will be greatly appreciated! ᕙ( ♥ ▿ ♥ )ᕗ
> 
> thank you for reading and i'll see you next week! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> also, let's be mutuals on twitter ---> @tokyocherry_twt 🌸

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone! ( ͡❛ ᴗ ͡❛)✌
> 
> thank you for patiently waiting for this update. i hope you liked reading it as much as i did with writing it. the next update will once again be next week, saturday mornings. 
> 
> (👍 ͡◉ ᴗ ͡◉)👍 also if you liked the pictures thingy, i also have them on the first few parts of Love Is War if you wanna check them out. 
> 
> any kudos/comments is greatly appreciated! ≧ ͡♥ ᴗ ͡♥≦
> 
> thank you for reading and i'll see you next week! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> p.s. let's be mutuals on twitter -> @tokyocherry_twt 🌸


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